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How to improve your App’s rank without spending a Dollar?

Mobile app marketing is one of the important and essential activities to promote an app. At present, it is buzzworthy than mobile apps. Once you have created an app, you need to market it through different outlets on Android and Apple marketplaces. One way to get an app noticed is to improve its ranking on app stores. The higher your app ranks, the more visible it is to potential customers. This eventually will result in increased number of app downloads.

App store optimization is process of optimizing mobile apps to rank high on app store. With more than 2 million apps on app store, getting the app discovered is one of the biggest challenges. In a study, it was found that more than 64% Android developers are operating at a rate of $500 per app per month, which is below the app poverty line.

Getting the basics of App Store Optimization will help your app rank high without spending a dollar. Here are some App store Optimization tips that help you boost your app rankings.

Identify the right keywords

Keywords play a very important role in enhancing the visibility of your app. This is similar to Google search, where the search engine displays list of relevant websites – whenever the user inputs the keywords or phrases in search box. In a study, it was found that apps that include keywords in their title rank 10.3% higher than their other similar apps.

To enhance the visibility of apps on App Store, they should be enriched with keywords in app title, description, promotional message and other relevant sections. App Store allows the app to be searched by its name, keywords and company name. The user might not know the exact name of the app, but know what they are looking for. Right keywords in title tag and description will help the App Store filter your app based on the search terms.

There are dozens of keyword estimator tools that help you find words that people type in the app search box. Some of the popular tools are – AppTweak, Sensor Tower, AppFigures, AppCodes, Appnique etc. Try these tools to identify, compare and analyze the popularity of any particular keyword.

Know the ranking algorithm and monitor the ranks regularly

Get the exact details of how a mobile app is ranked. There are thousands of developers who try to rank their apps, but only a few apps reach the top position. There are some factors such as – launch window, retention, user reviews, number of installs etc that decide the rank of your app. However, it is still not clear that how app store calculates this.

In simple terms – high quality and fun games get higher ranking on App Store. User reviews is another important factor based on which App store determines the rank of your app. Similarly, daily number of installs will have an effect on the ranking of your mobile app. A self-sustaining goal is what help your app to get on top list.

To get the feel of real algorithm, you should monitor its ranking daily and make a note of how the rankings change in line with your updates and fixes. Make sure to note the changes in preferences to improve the ranking of your mobile app.

Make the apps freemium

Create a low barrier to entry for people to use your app, especially if it is gaming app. A well-made freemium app should be able to convert nearly 5-15 percent users into paying users. If the users are enjoying the game, they may not directly contribute to the revenue, but turn into viral marketing channel. Allow them to enjoy the game and offer an opportunity to purchase items that add value to their experience.

You can even optimize the game play with social features and give the users incentives for being social and promoting your app. Utilize friends list, social sharing features and challenges for high ranking. Getting a download for the app doesn’t mean that you have achieved your goal. Retention is the act of getting your members use the product in such a way that they get used to it.

Influence users to give positive reviews

Most of the mobile app users go through the reviews first before downloading any app. Don’t you think that app reviews play an important role in attracting users? Probably Yes. We often go with the opinion of others and experience of others while downloading the app. Many surveys suggest that more than 95% of users go through the reviews before downloading or buying an app.

App reviews and ratings have a great effect on app ranking. It will enhance the possibility of app being featured on App Store. As for a positive rating from users who have been using it for long time. Select a specific group of users that has been using the app regularly. Directing the pop-ups to the group has better chances of positive rating. Reward the users of they like or choose to review your app.

People love freebies and the probability of someone clicking on the app review is likely to increase if they know they will get a gift. Moreover, people tend to give positive reviews if they get a freebie. Make use of social network to ask them review & rate your app. Reviews play an important role in improving the rank of your app.

Make the best use of app title

One of the important app store tips is to optimize the app title. The first thing that your users notice is the app title. To make effective use of app title, make best use of 255 character limit for the App title. The app name should be in line with the brand. It should be easy to spell and pronounce. Basically, there are two places where the app is displayed. Out of these 250 characters, 25 characters are shown up in the search results. The most important descriptive word should make the beginning of the app name, to enhance its visibility.

Try using one keyword in the App Title, as it is a highly searched term. The App store optimization tools can be used to identify which keywords fit well into the tile. To make the brand consistent, check the availability of corresponding domain name and social media accounts for the app.

Conclusion

Focusing on the above points will help you influence the app ranking. App optimization should be a continuous process and should not be overlooked. To improve search rankings, you need to check the parameters consistently. BY paying attention on how the consumer discovers your app on the app store, you can see great improvement in the number of downloads without even paying a dollar for advertising.

Improving an app ranking without spending a dollar can be a good practice. However, it might not be the best practice for every situation. Go ahead and think about the investment that fits your mobile marketing strategy. You will surely get to know some more ways to improve your app rank.

Self-driven, creative and ingenious, Prasant can be defined as a passionate writer who possesses immense flair for writing immersive, high-quality and compelling articles. Fond of reading international novels at length, he also indulges in music, social media and sports. He loves expressing honest opinions on public forums and is naturally interested in online marketing and business branding. Technology appeals to him, and he writes about it at length. Apart from work, Prasant is also a man of intellectual wit and has inherent power to tell stories. Over a cup of hot tea, he can spill all the beans.

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Promatics is an ISO 9001:2008 certified offshore web and mobile application development company with a strong team of 100+ highly skilled IT experts delighting SMEs across USA, Europe and APAC. Our services and solutions help clients to achieve tangible business value and remain competitive in today’s evolving marketplaces.